Deegan shares the same name as his father, who served as a St. Clair County Circuit Court judge from 1980 to 2011.

The younger Deegan is currently an assistant United States attorney and the chief of the criminal division in the Northern District of Iowa, according to a press release from the White House.

He has also served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan from 2004 to 2006.

Grassley and Ernst also nominated Mark Krickbaum to the spot in the state's southern district.

“Both Pete Deegan and Marc Krickbaum are highly qualified and ready to lead the offices of U.S. attorneys in Iowa. Mr. Deegan’s nearly 20 years of experience in the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Iowa, most recently as Criminal Chief, will serve the people of Iowa well. The Southern District of Iowa will benefit from Mr. Krickbaum’s experience in the Department of Justice, first as counsel to the Deputy Attorney General, then as an Assistant United States Attorney in Chicago and Des Moines,” Grassley said in an Aug. 3 statement following the judiciary committee approving the nominations. “After today’s committee action, their nominations await final consideration by the full United States Senate.”

Contact Liz Shepard at (810) 989-6273 or lshepard@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @lvshepard.